The Most Memorable Voices

Tony Clifton
The amazing character devised by the genius Andy Kaufman. He’s a Las Vegas lounge singer whose hobby is being a rude and arrogant bad guy. If you’ve never heard what he sounds like, take an ear to him singing the Star-Spangled Banner.

Bill Cosby
Who can forget the goofy antics and accentuated style of the man who had too many shows with the name Cosby in it and too many people trying to imitate him? He is a comedian who manages to make me laugh while not using foul language. So grab some jello and hear a clip of him talking about Superman.

The Simpsons Cast
The entire show of the Simpsons is full of various strange voices, from an accent from India to Homer to Mr. Burns. Youtube has a hilarious video of some of the voice overs. Nancy Cartwright is the voice actor of Bart. This interview shows how similar she really speaks compared to Bart. I love her laugh which you’ll hear in the interview many times- it’s totally Bart-esque. Doh!

Bob Dylan
Whether you like him or not, this significant figure has got a unique voice. Considering his early musical influences suggests he has honed his nasally voice to reflect upon a whole range of people. The womanly ballads of John Jacob Niles, the powerful deep sounds of Odetta, Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, and Blind Willie Johnson are only a few of the influences that Bobby D had. His voice was craziest during the sixties, especially on Blonde on Blonde (1966), with the wildest inflections and most innovative stretching and twisting of tones. More recently he has aged and can’t reach higher pitches and tends to have a growlier tone. Listen to a 1966 bootleg of Like a Rolling Stone with a introduction of the band by Dylan.

Sylvester Stallone
Whenever I hear his name I think of Rocky Balboa, the Italian Stallion. Rocky has a sprawled mumbly voice that is too cool. Its deep and soothing. It’s got the New-Yawka accent, specifically a tinge of the Bronx, where Stallone came from.

James Earl Jones
How epic can a man sound? Darth Vader. Mufasa from the Lion King. The National Anthem? This guy does it all.

Jane BarbeWe’re sorry. Sound familiar? She talks to a million people a day on the phone. She passed away in 2003, which means that people do speak to the dead (sorry, bad pun; no disrespect intended). God Bless Jane Barbe.

Homestar Runner
The biggest internet-based flash-animated cartoon. The Brothers Chaps make the cartoons themselves, along with help from the family. Matt Chapman is the primary voice actor. A great example of the speaking is Homestar and Coach Z in this funny segment about talking.

Wallace Shawn
I know of Wallace Shawn from appearances on the Cosby Show and the voice of Rex in Toy Story, but he’s been on plenty of other movies and tv shows.

Gilbert Gottfried
He is known for Iago the parrot in Aladdin and the Aflac Duck. Watch as he says “yes” and “no” a lot.

Robert Stack
Unsolved Mysteries! I watched that all the time when I was a kid. His voice is quite distinct. Find him in a bunch of older films and newer ones like Airplane!

Wolfman Jack
Bob Smith is the real guy behind this outrageous radio personality. There’s an interview with him that sheds some light about his origins and influences. A low raspy voice reminiscent of equally memorable Howlin’ Wolf and Louis Armstrong.

Napoleon Dynamite Crew
Napoleon, Kip, and Pedro all have funny voices. If you’ve never heard them, go watch the movie. It’s pretty stupid, has a corny plot, but it’s what makes it amusing. Then you’ll understand all the one-liners and bad impersonations.

SpongeBob SquarePants
Tom Kenny is the mouth actor who creates the sqeaky mannerisms of this underwater cartoon character. Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke) also has a notable slow dummy-sounding voice.

Tiny Tim
His gothic vaudeville appearance coupled with his falsetto voice and a ukelele is a top act. His normal is voice is actually fairly deep though. How about Tiny Tim singing with Bob Dylan and The Band? Four mp3s available.

Fran Drescher
It took forever to figure out her name. I actually don’t know too many stars or names of many actors. Her natural voice isn’t as whiny as it is in The Nanny.

Boris Karloff
A voice that is easily sinister or scary, even in a lighter commercial.

Richie Medina
This unknown local packs a lot of talent with primitive animal grunts, mating calls, and other great sound effects. Awaiting a recording.

Mel Blanc
One of the early voices of cartoons. He has the talent and classic influence. The man behind Bugs Bunny and a thousand other looney folks and sound effects. Here he does his stuff with Johnny Carson.

Jim Henson
I love the Muppets and Sesame Street. Ernie, Kermit the Frog and the whole gang are just amazing. Jim was the voice of many Muppets and other s at 123 Sesame St. There is some historical footage of him with Kermit on What’s My Line? game with a bonus song, “It’s Not Easy Being Green.”